hellcatfandomcom-20200214-history
Xen Aliens
Xen Aliens, also known as Xenians, Xenizens, and so forth are an alien race from another Dimension known as Xen (pronounced zen) , they are at war with another interdimensional race. Their are several different species in the Xenian race and numerous amounts of wild life. Homeworld and History Late Shadow Wars, Early Resurrecturial wars. A few hours before the end of the Shadow Wars, a massive portal opened from another dimension this event was known as "The Resonance Cascade", their were two alien races fighting each other as a few ships scattered out of the dimension. An exploration team found out that the Dimension was known as Xen, and it was home to a Race simply known as the Xen Aliens, appareantly they were thought to have been an alien race bent on ruling the universe however the exploration team found out they were at war with another interdimensional race that comes from a dimension parallel to theirs, however not much else is known about the races purpose in the universe. Xen and its ecosystem Rather than being a planet or an artificial structure such as a space station, all of the locations of Xen visited by explorers are on the surfaces of (or within) asteroids ("islands") floating within what appears to be a nebular void. In most of these structures, there is water inside these islands, The majority of flowing water is red and greenish brown, however there are pools of blueish water that have a healing effect on organic beings. The presence of any water proves that Xen can support life. Compared to the gravitational pull experienced on Earth, Xen is notable for having somewhat reduced gravity. However, given that Xen is comprised of low mass asteroids, it is surprising that there is any appreciable gravitational pull at all, let alone a pull strong enough to retain the breathable atmosphere encountered there. Another feature is that gravity is always directed downwards, rather than towards the asteroid, so that one can actually fall off an asteroid into the void below. While it is possible that the "islands" are small chunks orbiting a larger and unseen planetoid, these unusual physics strongly suggest that Xen occupies an alternate dimension where conventional physics may not fully apply. This is also hinted at when Xen is referred to as a "borderworld", most likely because of the fact it is needed for resonance/quantum displacement based teleportation, which seems to be one of the only ways of entering Xen at all. The Xen asteroids are home to a wide variety of different plant and animal species, forming a complex ecosystem. Although resident in Xen at the time of Shadow Wars, all of these species originated elsewhere and were forced to flee there to escape attack from their enemies. Some species, such as barnacles, Bullsquid, Headcrabs and Houndeyes appear to occupy niches similar to various carnivorous terrestrial animals (albeit with unusual anatomical or physiological features). However, even these creatures are dwarfed by the towering 6 meter high, four-legged invertebrate known as the Gonarch, which appears to be the final stage of a Headcrab's lifecycle. Seen frequently in Xen are manta ray-like beings glide seemingly without effort through the void. These creatures come in two forms; one with a 'split' head and a double tail, and the other with a rounder head and a single tail. The beings appear to follow preset patterns of flight, and do not react to attack or contact with other organisms. However, they are capable of emitting beams of energy and the double-tailed variant was seen attacking Race-X ships during the resonance cascade, It is uncertain whether these ray-like beings are living creatures or examples of war machines built around advanced biotechnology (similar to Species 8472). Other, more intelligent species, such as the Controllers and Vortigaunts, form part of an advanced alien civilization with other species, such as the Alien Grunts and Gargantua, composing their military. As the explorers progressed through it during the end of the shadow wars, it becomes clear that this civilization is controlled by some sort of powerful being. Although differing in many ways, the Controllers, Vortigaunts, and the Grunts share a common morphology that includes a seemingly vestigial third limb in the center of their thorax and vertically-opening mouths, suggesting that they are all closely related. They also appear to be immune to infestation/infection by members of the flood and assimilation by the borg, it is possible that the energy in their body kill off any parasitic lifeform that enters their bodies, however it is unknown. A few creatures that appear in Xen are difficult to categorize as either fauna or flora due to their unusual appearance. Stationary bioluminescent stalks appear in large numbers throughout Xen and will retract when approached. The much larger and extremely aggressive (but rarely encountered) Tentacles share certain features with animals but also of plants and pose a major hazard to those who wander near their pits. There are also bizarre tree-like structures dotted around the landscape, which seem to be more sedate versions of the Tentacles. The "trees" sway gently and appear harmless when observed from a distance, but stab viciously at any creature that enters their immediate vicinity. While their is multiple amounts of data from research about the Xen Aliens most of the research was incomplete due to the start of the Resurrecturial wars and the fact that many scientist were needed back to the coalition. Life-forms Their have been at least a dozen identifiable life-forms in Xen that have been recorded and added into the coalition archives in case of future encounters with them or accidently entering the Borderworld. Non-Sentient (non-hostile) Boids-'''Inoffensive bird-like creatures in Xen that simply floats around in the void, they are known for their beauty and many zoologist are attempting to capture them, The standard boid wings have several shades of blue, pink and yellow and its main body is grey. At the center and on each side of its body, the creature seems to have four red eyes and a mouth. '''Chumtoads-'''Unlike most Xen creatures, Chumtoads are not inherently dangerous to humans. They tend to lounge on rocks until threatened, at which point they have the natural ability to teleport – vanishing in a puff of purple energy. Chumtoads are the only known Xen aliens whose teleportation energy isn't green. Chumtoads are notable for their bright purple colouration, their single red, catlike eye, their spiked backs, and their long, blue tongues. Non-Sentient (hostile) '''Barnacles-'''Barnacles resemble little more than a large mouth full of sharp teeth and a thin, but long and very powerful muscular hydrostat combining the functions of a tongue and tentacle, which can be retracted or extended to hang at near-floor level regardless of the animal's height from the floor. When an object, living or otherwise, comes into contact with the tongue, it somehow grabs the object though the exact mechanism behind the tongue's stickiness is unknown. The Barnacle then retracts its tongue, drawing the object towards its mouth. Upon reaching the mouth, the object is quickly evaluated by the Barnacle: objects considered edible by the Barnacle are crushed and consumed; inedible objects are released. '''Bullsquids-The body of a Bullsquid is vaguely similar in appearance to that of a small Theropod, with two short, muscular legs and a thick tail that tapers to a point. The thorax abruptly joins the creature's head with no neck or other visible separation. A typical specimen stands roughly one meter tall and about two meters in length. Two slit-pupiled, black and glossy eyes are mounted on either side of its head. The tail had a hooked claw at its tip, which explains the large amount of damage caused by the Bullsquid's spin attack. The Bullsquid has an array of offensive capabilities. They display a very territorial disposition, as they have often been seen attacking other creatures and even members of their own species. They viciously attack Headcrabs, not stopping until all Headcrabs in their sight are eliminated, while they do not harm Houndeyes. Gargantuas-It is approximately six meters (20 feet) tall, mostly blue in color, and has one yellow eye that glows red when it perceives a hostile unit. A Gargantua's head resembles that of a terrestrial crocodile, while its rear carapace looks somewhat like a pillbug's or armadillo's. In place of hands, it sports two claw-like appendages which can be opened to emit jets of intense heat. It can hit a sentient being with its arms and feet and also send a shock wave towards its opponents by powerfully stomping the ground, represented by a speeding red dot. This shock wave can traverse vertical structures. The Gargantua moves quickly (slightly faster than a humanoid) and is very strong: it can smash or toss large obstacles from its path with ease, and is invulnerable to most small arms fire. It is possible these creatures are used as weapons against the enemies of the Xen Aliens Headcrabs are fairly small creatures, consisting of a rounded body with four legs for movement and a often pair of larger frontal claws for attacking prey or as additional support when standing still. Headcrabs appear to have no external sensory organs, so it is assumed they move about by touch and vibration. Although small, slow-moving, relatively weak on its own, and even seemingly harmless with its tip-toe like gait, the Headcrab has the ability to quickly leap long distances using its hind legs, while tilting upwards to face its mouth towards its target, inflicting minor injury with its claws, legs, and teeth. Its main goal, however, is to attach itself onto an appropriate host's head. Once attached, they take control of the host's nervous system and dreadful "mutations" occur, creating a Headcrab Zombie. Headcrab Zombies-Once a Headcrab successfully attaches to a host, the Headcrab's alien physiology causes various "mutations" to manifest in its host, such as elongated claws, increased strength, and a sharp-toothed "mouth" that bisects the victim's chest cavity from neck to groin. Houndeye-Possessing only three legs and a thorax, the Houndeye is a faint yellow-green in color, with electric blue tiger-like stripes adorning its spine. In place of a head there is a large, black, compound eye protected by eyelids. Houndeyes apparently communicate through a series of high-pitched sounds somewhat similar to the barking of dogs, on which its behavior and movement are also partially based, hence its name. The Houndeye is an excellent example of a social animal in terms of pack hunting. While a shy and timid creature by itself, groups of three or more display resonant behavior, emitting destructive harmonic sonic attacks in shock waves, capable of injuring those they attack, appearing as violet, sometimes white circles around the creature. The eyelids are seen moving only when they are excited. Ichthyosaurs-'''Although it is named after the extinct marine reptile group, the Ichthyosaurs, it resembles them only in its carnivorous ecology and its general size. Little is known about it due to the fact it is a underwater creature. '''Leeches-Leeches appear as small, fish-like creatures that seem to be based on the terrestrial medicinal leeches. They are usually white in color. During the Resonance Cascade, Leeches were teleported to a nearby terrestial planet, infested the oceans and seem to have endangered or caused the extinction of most terrestrial sea creatures. Indeed they are the only creatures seen in the sea, while it seems that a few crabs remain. Some of the planets native creatures remain in inland body of waters, where insects and frogs can be heard, Ichthyosaurs also seem to occupy freshwater bodies. Snarks-Snarks seem to colonize in the form of an egg sac and only emerge to attack. They attack aggressively, persistently, and erratically, leaping and biting at their target. After attacking for about twenty seconds, a snark will explode in a spray of acid. Despite their size, they are very dangerous, doing as much as major puncture wounds with each quick bite, easily injuring a soldier can normally only take 20 minutes. At each bite they release a squeak, which becomes progressively higher in pitch as the time they have left to live shortens. At the end of their 20 seconds, they release a last squeak before exploding, the explosion is very small however it can injure a human being with acid from its body. Xen forces have learned to use snarks to their advantage. In the battle of Etain IV, there are Snark Mines that hang in the air with the use of webbing which, when shot or tripped, the lasers on it will release snarks to attack human soldiers and slows down their progress, acting like biological tripmines. Sentient Controllers-Like these other sentient creatures on Xen, the Alien Controllers have a third vestigial arm growing from the center of their thorax. In addition to this, the Alien Controllers have disproportionately large heads, which could peel open to reveal an apparently mechanical spike or cone, They attack by firing multiple spheres of electrical energy (resembling ball lightning) from their hands, They can also fire an energy ball from their head that is larger, more powerful and has a slight homing ability. They are also telepaths that can use their abilities to temporarily disable anyone with psychic abilities. 'Grunts-'''Alien Grunts share many features with their Vortigaunt counterparts: multiple red eyes, backwards-jointed legs, hoofed feet, and a short arm extending from their mid-torso, which is most likely used for feeding. However, they do not seem to share the race's myriad energy-based powers; hence the need for the hivehand weapon. Grunts are also equipped with metallic armour around the groin and shoulders, as well as metal helmets and shoes, though it has been speculated that this is actually a natural 'shell' formed as a result of a calcium-rich diet. Alien Grunts can be found being transported through a factory on Xen, stored in pod-shaped containers. The implication is that the Alien Grunts are manufactured beings, though it seems unlikely that Xen has the technology to manufacture sentient beings. They also can be found eating parts of a humans corpse, and they have been known to attack in groups of three or individually, they will fight against enemies even if they are bigger then them and they seem to hate Covenant Grunts for unknown reasons, possibly because they view Covenant Grunts as a challenge to their dominance. 'Vortigaunts-'Also known as Alien Slaves, in appearance, a Vortigaunt is roughly humanoid with two legs and two arms, but has an additional arm protruding from its chest. This extra limb is a feature also found in the other bipedal, sapient species from Xen, including the Grunts and the Controllers, Apparently, this third arm is used for feeding, as both Vortigaunts and Grunts are often seen bending over slain victims while feeding off of it. Vortigaunts have a mottled green-brown skin; similar to a reptile's, sharp teeth, and clawed hands. Vortigaunts have a slightly hunched posture, and their faces are dominated by a large, single red eye, surrounded by five smaller eyes. Closer inspection reveals that the smaller "eyes" are simply additional openings that lead to one gigantic eyeball. They also appear to have a belly button, suggesting Vortigaunts have live births. Vortigaunts are very intelligent and social creatures, and often display these traits, Vortigaunts are often seen in pairs or groups, and are capable of developing intelligent strategies. When faced with a superior enemy, Vortigaunts will often run away from the scene, and if possible, will group together with others to form a stronger force. While they usually attack aggressively, they often become timid when injured, preferring to run away rather than risk further combat and possible death. They have two modes of attack: an energy attack in which they fire fairly powerful green lightning-like energy beams that require a vulnerable period of "charging-up" before being unleashed, and when close to opponents, they attack with their claws. Technology They seem to have impressive skills in making improvised bases in caves, asteroids, or gas planets, they also appear to be experts on bioengineering, cloning, and harvesting organic material (except from life-forms) and processing it into technology. They seem to use chemical and biological warfare for their weapons including the fact they build snark mines, turrets that shoot a chemical in laser form, chlorine bombs (a recently new weapon), and it is possible they build their own small arms weapons incuding the Hivehand. They have little understanding on normal technology used by other species, however they are attempting to understand the use of technology for the coalition, NOD, and other factions. They also seem to have experience in genetic engineering and cloning, due to the fact that they seem to reproduce Alien Grunts in factories, and it is possible the manta-ray like ships they operate may be genetically altered versions of the boids, however not much else is known about their technology due to the lack of research on them. Trivia *The Xen Aliens are not from the Halo series, they are from the famous Half-Life series by the Valve Corporation. *Valve corporation also created Team Fortress 2 which part of Lykurgus's personality was based from. *It is actually not known in the games that they're enemies with Race-X from ''Half-Life: Opposing Force. *This is the first page with material from Half-Life